Thank you for the wonderful historical tie ins at the end.  And a "happily-ever-after."  This has been a truly lovely story!

I've thoroughly enjoyed every word of your thrilling and illuminating story and am deeply disappointed that we have to leave H&S alone now. A wonderful epilogue, though. They for sure deserved this far more peaceful life than the constant fight and danger back in Pompeiji. Thank you so much for sharing this adventure with us.

I've been following this for months, and now that it's finished I wanted to drop in and tell you just how much pleasure it has given me.  The attention you gave to the details of Roman life was really excellent, and added a great deal to the story.  Finding the graves of the Vetti, and the comfirmation of their Pompeiian reality, was really the perfect touch.  A truly satisfying ending to a truly satisfying fic!

All I can say is...WOW!!!! I'll miss this story with a passion BUT I'll keep it on my IBook to read it, and read it, and re read it over and over again...You're brilliant and this fic is one of the best I've ever read, honest.  Thanks for sharing.

Brilliant!!  I loved this story, and look forward to re-reading it. Thank you!

A lovely story that was well-crafted and wonderful to read.  I hope you keep writing!

What a truly terrific story.  You captured my attention whole-heartedly in every chapter and had me falling in love with every character, particularly Marcella and Conviva.  I waited with bated breath for every chapter.  'Vesuvius waits' is the perfect ending to a fantastic story.  I can't wait to read more from you in the future.

Love the tiny hint of threat at the end.  Brilliant story, and I hope more will come. :)

What an incredibly satisfying read. Thank you SO MUCH for letting us know what became of Marcella and Conviva, and for giving Severus and Hermione such a terrific apartment :) Your story has been such a rare mix of adventure, history and interestingly complicated magic, and I'm so happy I got to go along for the ride. Well done!

The perfect ending & beginning for them--love their lovemaking, Severus' *determination* and the lovely lemony flow of the narrative--something reminded me of James Joyce and I had a flash and then current of strong emotion and need floating me along through their physical intimacy, on through to the very last words 'Vesuvius waits'.Love the full circle that the story finishes with; was soooo happy with the tomb of the Vettii--and the satisfying sense of tranquility and peace that Severus & Hermione have found and fully embraced with one another, and now, their new life--together Thank you for all of your passionate, detailed, skilled work--an ultimate storyteller, sage historian:-) and weaver of magical dreams, the fandom is enriched so very much, beyond words, by authorship such as yours, Proulxes--looking forward to more, more, more!xxx

 What a cracking story! absoloutely loved it!

Thank you for this wonderful story! You've left us with a perfect ending: reconciliation, love, new possibilities - Hope - and even a touch of disquiet concerning the Volcano itself. The final scene with Hermione and Severus in their new life was tangible. I could feel the heat of the day and their feelings for one another ... and what I wouldn't give for a delicious espresso myself! Overall, you've done a masterful job of incorporating the details of history with the details of the human spirit into prose. Lastly, I knew it couldn't all just be a figment of their imaginations! Lovely.

What a labor of love for all concerned... with results far surpassing what one might expect from a first time writer. I especially appreciate the depth of research you have brought to your work. Thank you for writing this and for sharing it with us. It has been a privilege to go on this adventure with you.Are you planning a long vacation now with your own Severus? ;) It would be well deserved. Don't stay away too long, though--now that you've been bitten by the bug, I suspect you may have another story or two in you!Until next time--hm88

Hm...so I was partly right when I guessed that Conviva and Marcella were the ancestors of a character in the magical world, but my guesses about which one (i.e., the Weasley twins, Lily Evans) were wrong.  They're Severus's ancestors...suggesting that if he had not gone back in time, he himself might never have been born or at least not the person he was.  (I love stories like that.)  Should I take it that the red hair (Conviva) and green eyes (Marcella) were -- if you'll pardon the inadvertent pun -- red herrings?  I'm glad that they turned out to be real and not just figments of Severus's imagination.

Brilliant story!  Loved every bit of it! 

This was simply brilliant!  I haven't reviewed nearly often enough, but this is quickly going into my favorites so I can reread it often. 

Thank you for a lovely and gripping story (as I pointed out in earlier reviews you do write the most nail-biting cliffhangers ...). And it was very interesting to read about Pompej as well.

Amazing end for a great story. I truly enjoyed reading this story, you created an fantastic piece of artwork with fascinating connections ro Roman history. I had a short flashback when I read the inscriptiion though, I spent a whole term in uni in a class reading tombstone inscripiton and it all returned to my mind as soon as I read 'dis manibus'. You've written a beautiful story, that has really caught my attention and I'm certain the attention of many other readers as well. You've developed a plot-line with surprising turning-points - there were several developements I sertainly didn't see coming and you managed to surprise me more than once. It was an awesome experience reading this great story.

I've enjoyed your story very much from start to finish.  The anticipation of the next update, and the next twist and turn of the story has been maintained, and as always when a good story draws to its finale, there is a sense of well being left behind that all is well with our story's heroes.  I don't review very often these days - it always feels a bit cheesy to say 'great story, keep on etc etc'  time after time, but here goes:This has been a great story, well researched and written. Please keep on writing and visiting your muse upon us, she will be well received.

I've enjoyed reading the whole stoyr, and thanks for sharing.

I'm so very glad to see that these two didn't let others expectations bog them down. They've earned the right to deal with both worlds on their own terms. I also like the fact that what they experienced wasn't completely all in their heads. *grins* You bring up a chilling point at the end here. Why do we, as humans, persist in building/rebuilding our homes in the shadow of ticking time-bombs? I live less than 25 mins drive from an exposed portion the San Andreas faultline, so I'm not really any better than those that live in the shadow of Vesuvius. :) Wonderful tale - thank you for sharing it and all of the details that went into it.

Next chappie in queue....Can't wait!!!

I love this story!! I  look forward to see what Hermoine will do next, and how those two will get along since she's stuck in ancient time. Keep up the excellent work, and I hope you update soon!Waiting with baited breath. :)

What fun! I have some theories, and can't wait to see where you take it. Very curious about those city wards. 

Questions and answers... and more questions.  What a great chapter!******Hermione always wore "the little pendant on its silver chain that she always wore and rolled it between her fingers."

His mother's beautiful Daum perfume "bottle was made from French cameo glass with a silver cap and chain. It was something she had worn round her neck to refresh her perfume. She had charmed it to shrink to the size of a small coin and always wore it around her neck."

I wonder if the pendant on the silver chain is the same one that Severus had placed his soul in so he could survive whatever evil the Dark Lord had in mind for him?  *****

In the Prologue we read that "His right hand has closed over the old Time-Turner that has fallen forward out of her shirt. She is at a loss for what to do. She scrabbles in her bag again – finds the Essence of Dittany –is there enough? She is sure there is not, but empties the phial anyway on the pulsing wound. He writhes in renewed pain and she pulls backwards, frightened. As she does so, the fine chain that holds the Time-Turner snaps."

Then in Chapter 3 Severus had shown her the scars from Nagini's bite.  "These healed remarkably quickly in fact,” he added softly, pulling his tunic away from his neck to reveal the scars of the snake’s bite on his pale skin. He wore a thin, bright chain of gold around his neck. It looked incongruously delicate against the ravaged skin. Her breath caught, and without thinking, she lifted a hand to stroke the raised flesh at the base of his throat.

Is this fine gold chain the same one that had held the Time-Turner around Hermione's neck?*****

Apparently Severuvs' rich and civilized Pompeian patron has turned out to be an evil wizard.  I wondered how the wards that prevent them from leaving the city had come to be.  The evil patron seems to be very similar to the Dark Lord... Was it a visit from his Patron that led to the broken ribs and bruising that Severus was attempting to heal in his bath? 

And finally, what is this complicated plan that may still work?

Beth